9 Party Food Ideas High in Protein So You Don't Eat an Entire Cheese Plate

It’s that time again. Sports fan or not, watching the Olympics is a time-honored American tradition, best done while eating delicious food. That’s what sporting events are all about, right? Let those athletes serve as motivation to trade out chips and dip and a sleeve of Oreos for one of these high-protein recipes that make the perfect party food. Whether you’re going to a watch party or just turning on the games at home, these wings, dips, and meatballs will keep you satisfied through the night.

Bacon-wrapped-anything is a crowd-pleaser, obviously, and these garlic shrimp are surprisingly easy to put together, so they’re a double win. Serve with guacamole (another fan favorite) and enjoy the sweet and salty flavors mixing together.

These cute stuffed dates are definitely rich, but they’re also full of protein thanks to cheese and prosciutto. Save them for a night when you’re really stressed about the competition… they’ll make you feel fancy and don’t take very long to throw together.

Swap out the canned French onion dip (does it freak anyone else out that it doesn’t come refrigerated?) for this hearty black bean dip. There are only five ingredients involved—beans, lime, olive oil, ginger, and garlic—so you can whip it up quickly when you need an easy last-minute app.

Meatballs: not just for pasta. Make these snacks in a slow cooker for ultimate ease and stick some toothpicks in each if you’ve got a crowd. They’ll be swimming in a tomato, garlic, and onion sauce that makes for a great next-day addition to pasta or chicken.

Get a dose of your favorite lunch-box snack without actually buying the cheese-flavored crackers. These crunchy chickpeas will leave you way more satisfied than a normal chip and actually taste cheesy thanks to the magic of nutritional yeast. Warning: These might just be your new go-to 3 p.m. snack.

Is it really a sporting event without wings? We think not. This baked version won’t take too much time or effort in the kitchen, so you can pop ’em in and get back to watching your favorite event. Once they’re ready, break out the Frank’s Red Hot and coat them up.

This hearty dip is a mix between a salsa and a salad, and tastes good with tortilla chips, pita, fresh veggie sticks, or scooped over chicken or fish. Plus, it’s super colorful… anything that features red, orange, yellow, and green gets a gold medal in our book.

You can never have too much buffalo chicken. Luckily, no one will notice this fan-favorite is a little lighter than most, thanks to low-fat cream cheese, skim mozzarella, and Greek yogurt. This recipe gives you directions to make it in a slow cooker, on the stove, or in the oven, depending on how much time you’ve got.